DEALING WITH STOMACH FLU ON A WEEKEND
It started Friday. I was in the Office finishing some more tasks related to the turnover of my workloads to colleagues in the workplace, when I received an alarming call from our new kasamabahay informing me of Nico’s repeated vomiting the whole morning. Guilty that I was leaving him for hours five days straight through my remaining turnover days at work, I immediately rushed home to give comfort to my son and observe what had caused the vomiting. I sensed though it definitely had something to do with a spoiled food or drink that he took in school.
Apparently, everything went fine when I got home that Nico didn’t threw up at all nor exhibited signs of doing like it. And just to make sure all the food that he’ll be taking would not trigger diarrhea or something else, I prepared a soft-diet, less-greasy dinner (Sinigang na Bangus and rice) for him and thankfully he had ample appetite and finished it. We even managed to play for an hour or two, finished his school assignments, and had a goodnight sleep despite his being worn-out and wearing a slight fever.
The signal to rush to the Hospital
The following day (which was a Saturday and thank goodness there is no school), Nico started loosing stools one after the other. It doesn’t looked alarming at first because the consistencies were quite solid and it was just normal for Nico to be pooping one to two times daily. But wait till his next bowel movements! Hala, he pooped more than normal and passes looser, more watery stools and a dozen of his underwear were all soiled just before lunchtime. So without further hesitations and of our fear that Nico would soon get dehydrated, we decided to rush Nico the hospital because he was so helpless, complaining of frequent stomach pains.
I brought along a stool sample for a possible laboratory test, but thanks-but no thanks to the bumper-to-bumper traffic along C5 and Kalayaan that no matter where pasikot-sikot we trail routes, we still got stuck on the road for about one and a half hour and the stool had spoiled, making it invalid for a fecalysis the moment we arrived in the hospital. Nevertheless, we patiently waited for Nico to poop but after three more hours of waiting (with laughter and entertainment from Nico who still managed to amuse the doctors and nurses at the ER on the side, despite being somewhat exhausted), the lab failed to collect a sample. The only specimen that made it to the laboratory was Nico’s urine (which was easier to collect) and after an hour of waiting for the results, the possibility of a UTI was ruled out. Thank heavens.
The culprit: A virus inside Nico’s tummy
Though there was no specimen to concretely base a conclusion, symptoms exhibited by Nico such as vomiting, fever (mild), and diarrhea (watery poops), the attending pediatrician ruled the possibility of Nico suffering from the so-called Gastroenteritis, or more commonly known as stomach flu–it’s an inflammation of the stomach and the intestines caused by many different viruses but rotavirus as the most common culprit. The doctor mentioned it’s a common illness in children and adults alike but I was somehow not so familiar with it as I only knew of diarrhea, or maybe I always seem to associate LBMs with diarrhea, nothing more, nothing less. I however recalled reading similar stomach flu cases like that of what happened to Christianne’s Annika here and here and Aggie’s Pooing Martha but didn’t care to research on it as much until the same illness hit my Nico. (Hay. Another lesson learned: pay special attention to what you read in Blogs you subscribed too). Anyway, moving on.
I asked the doctor, “but I always make sure I prepare only the healthy snack for my Nico with proper sanitation observed. Where could have Nico possibly got it,” then telling her more that it could have been something that Nico took in school. “If the rest of the people in the household is well and OK, then possibly yes, Nico could have got it from school,” the doctor said, then assuming maybe Nico shared a classmate’s snack or drink in school. According to her, Nico most likely picked up something infected by a fecal matter of some sort (gee, that’s gross) on his hands and then putting them in his mouth. Tsk, that’s one risk of having a child in school. And in as much a Mom wished to totally guard a son from harmful elements, a Mom can only do so much.
Anyway. The doctor was even still keen on waiting for a few more hours for Nico to poop so that she would know if there exist a bacterial infection hence, a need to prescribe antibiotics, but seeing our already worn-out the whole day and helpless three-year old deprived of his long-afternoon nap, she just prescribed Oral Rehydration Salts for Nico to take in case he would continue to poop so as to avoid dehydration. Thankfully, when we got home, though the first 250ml of ORS were readied, it was no longer necessary for Nico to drink it, as he stopped passing stools. Nico complained only mild tummy pains in between waking up every four to five hours during the nighttime but those were all manageable. Funny thing was, through the night while Nico was soundly sleeping, all we heard were long and foul-smelling farts but without any trace of stools when I checked on his underwear from time to time. Looked like the virus is on his way out of Nico’s body and of course, we felt so relieved. Or so we thought.
Mommy catching the Stomach Flu too
The next morning (which was a Sunday, our family day, the day we always look forward to), I was complaining of the need to gag to the sink and go on the loo and let some stomach garbage flushed away. Stomach pains were also unbearable that I spent the entire day crunching in one corner only to ease some pain (as if something was bugging my digestive system).
Poor me and my two good men, they waited and waited for hours in a hope for me to get well so that we can go on our usual Sunday family bonding. But they ended up waiting still. I just don’t seem to have the appetite to eat even as Dada prepared the most special (as he claimed) arroz caldo for me, my favorite comfort food. I settled munching just crackers and sipping cups of warm water only to keep me hydrated. Hay.
I had a brief consultation in the afternoon with a doctor and she diagnosed I too was suffering from stomach flu. “Must be something in our water, food or our home that led me and Nico suffered a stomach infection?” I asked the doctor. Surprisingly, she said gastroenteritis (because it’s viral) can be easily spread from one person to another. Fact that Nico was infected with it, I possibly caught it.
As of this writing, I am recuperating from the infection with a bit of my appetite for food back. The only consolation (for desperate Moms like me who dies to shed some pounds), if I may reiterate more as Christianne said it was the perfect postpartum diet for her, was the lost of some weight. 
But seriously, it was quite difficult for a Mommy being sick and dealing with it, most especially on a weekend, was the hardest part because aside from the abnormal flow of things in the household (like everything was out of control: what to cook, where to get this and that, etc), our little family sure missed spending an exclusive and meaningful bonding weekend.
19 responses so far
Congrats, congrats… I am so happy for you. Hang in there. I’m sure you’ll...
Baka dahil sa water, di kaya?
You know, I got that last New Year!! Naku, it was so bad! I had to be rushed to the ER at 3a.m. I was vomiting and pooping water and my stomache was in knots. Grabe! I had to take antibiotics for 10 days.
Hope you’re feeling better soon
Dami talagang panic moments ang being mother of young children, ano? Kaya mo yan … well especially now that on your way to full-time mothering.
At this stage, their needs are mostly biological. Later, they will have more psychic/emotional needs.
Sa tingin mo ano mas mahirap?
Mitch, hindi ko rin sure if our water is contaminated, pero if it was, bakit kami lang ni Nico ang nagkasakit? i sensed Nico got it from school, baka nakiinom or nakikain ng snack ng classmates nya.
thanks Mommy Kong.
Kongkong, at naku talagang nasugod ka pa sa ER, at New Year pa! it must have that bad kasi you needed to take antibiotics. good part lang of that illness was, kahit di ka na mag-diet, sobrang papayat after. kami naman, we thought it was amoebiasis or simpleng LBM lang. but thank heavens, Nico and I coped without the antibiotics.
annamanila, thanks for the encouraging words.
truth is, I don’t know if it’s just too much of a mother’s paranoia, but I always hate me being at “panic modes” most of the time. duh, first time Mom kasi.
agree with the phases of mothers’ concerns on their kids. I noticed that among PMN Mommies. the younger/first time Moms’ concerns are mostly re: their kids’ health and physical development, but the veteran Moms/Moms with teenagers and adults, concerns are mostly on dealing with emotional needs. on the question what’s harder to deal with: for me it’s the emotional concerns. just a thought.
awww, hope you and Nico are feeling better now. i admire Nico’s cheerful attitude despite being uncomfortably sick.
It was a good thing there’s no need for ORS. Pangit kasi lasa nun eh.
thanks Nice! yup, buti na nga lang at no need for ORS. we bought the orange flavor, but still it tasted like medicine. and I don’t think I can easily convince Nico to drink it!
Uy, hi feng. Sorry to hear about what happened to you & Nico.. Kaka panic talaga when our kids get sick. Tapos when we moms do get sick, nakaka guilty naman coz plans get disrupted. I do hope you’re feeling much better now.
LOL Thet, kala ko spam comment yung number 7, ikaw pala yan!
anyway, congrats on the birth of your Blog. yipee, excited na ko to read about your Mommy kwentos. 
will bloghop there in a bit. 
oo nga eh, both of us got sick. buti na lang at the virus dwindled down na agad, otherwise, hospital at IV ang ending namin nito. thanks for the well wishes.
Baka kasi kayo ni Nico ang mahina ang tiyan.
Mitch, siguro nga.
How are you na, Feng?
hi Julie. am perfectly fine, with God’s grace. appetite is back and slowly moving on to my normal food diet.
Hi Feng. Sorry to hear that you were recently down with stomach flu. I do hope that you and Nico are feeling much better now. Glad your appetite is back. Hope Nico is gaining back his strength and appetite as well.
We always keep Pedialyte and Gatorade at home just in case. My son doesn’t like the taste of Pedialyte. One time, I tried sipping the flavored one and realized it tasted like medicine. No wonder Yohan doesn’t like it.
Thanks Feng for greeting Yohan a Happy Birthday. I appreciate it.
hi Rach! thanks, we’re super back to normal now.
re: Pedialyte, eh kahit orange flavor ang binili namin, sama pa rin ng lasa, tasted like medicine eh.
Glad both you & Nico are well now. Kelvin developed stomach flu during his first week in his former nursery, he was 13months. Talagang nakakaawa. He wouldn’t drink the oral rehydration formulas. Thankfully he doesn’t get this virus anymore, ubo’t sipon na (lang).
Sorry to hear you and Nico were both sick. Bawi na lang kayo sa Sunday activities this weekend
Are some of the kids in Nico’s class still in diapers? Sa daycare ni Annika the teachers try their best to keep things clean but it’s of course difficult with 13 toddlers who put everything in their mouths. But I wouldn’t expect a 3-year-old like Nico to still catch a stomach bug from something at school, unless it was something he ate that wasn’t so fresh.
Napaisip ako doon sa tanong ni Annamanila. Mahirap din ang emotional problems but my mom who has raised 4 kids says that the most challenging stage is when the child can’t talk yet and can’t express what he/she is feeling. Moms have to become experts at guessing what the child wants
ay Auee, I can only just imagine what inconvenience Kelvin went through with stomach flu. at 13 months, he can’t complain yet what’s he’s feeling. cough and colds are just natural with kids, ganyan talaga, they’re building their immune system.
thanks for the well wishes, we’re so so much OK now.
Christianne, thanks for the well wishes.
re: Nico’s classmates still nappies, ang alam ko may 3 pa syang classmates wearing nappies and often sa school inaabot ng pag pooh pooh. kaya nga siguro, Nico caught it in school, mahilig kasi sya manghingi ng baon sa classmates. LOL, takaw kasi.
re: Annamanila’s comment, ey, sobrang it made me ponder too.
if I remember it right, she even commented in an article in PMN that we Mommies are “psychologists” too. 
must be something, the boys got it last week. ako, i’m feeling something weird in my tummy this week. hope you’re better.
jenn, hala ka! baka you caught the kids’ stomach infection din. hope you’ll feel better. soft diet ka na lang muna, less oily food.